


Runaway

by MrsLionheart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, College, Cute Kids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsLionheart/pseuds/MrsLionheart
Summary: Childhood friends / College AUKeith and Lance were childhood best friends at a young age and their bond was strong and special. They lost each other far too soon again and this story shows their journey through college with some interesting twists and maybe even the chance of a new beginning.(Re-upload after revising and editing, first draft was from June 2019)
Relationships: Adam & Shiro (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey sweethearts! 
> 
> Some of you may already know this fic. It was the first longer project I've started last year at around June (almost a year, wtf?). I soon lost the motivation to work on it but as I looked through my WIPs some days ago, I re-read this gem and found my love and motivation in it again, since the story itself means a lot to me and I really wanna share it with you all.  
> So basically, the parts that were already uploaded, are still the same as the story itself remains, too. I just revamped the whole thing, revised and edited it (grammar and typos, yucky) and here it is again! \o/  
> I really hope you enjoy this journey, ngl, it'll be bumpy and (surely) angsty but... DON'T WANNA SPOILER!! :D
> 
> Anyway, this is the Prologue of our story! The first time our boys met, sweet and young and innocent ;A;  
> Let's see what mischief they were up to! \o/
> 
> Angst warning for the end of this part already (I'm sorry [not sorry] for making them boys suffer) TAT

Lance had always been a keen child, so full of energy and joy, always laughing. He was six years old and merely able to take care of himself, but he’d always tried to do his best and comfort others. 

Keith on the other side had been the shy one, always wary and most of the time he was frowning. He didn’t have any friends, which was a little unusual for a seven year old. They were neighbors and on one day, Lance just walked over to him, as he was sitting on his swing, sneaking some hidden looks at the brunet boy through his lashes.

“You wanna see something  _ really  _ cool?,” Lance had asked, with a wide and toothy grin. Keith frowned even more and averted his gaze to the ground, digging his shoes into the dirt. 

Lance sighed loud in response.

“I know a place, where there are a looot of cool bugs and beetles. You wanna come with me?,” he tried again. Keith turned his head and glared at him. Any other kid would’ve been intimidated and walk away, maybe even cry but Lance just pursed his lips and waited, tapping one of his feet impatiently on the ground.

“But I’m not allowed to leave our yard. And I think you’re not allowed either,” Keith stated. Lance just scoffed, and answered. “But I  _ am _ . Mamá won’t say anything. I’m already six years old, so I’m allowed to go other places!”

He stood with his hands on his hips, jerking his chin up in a way only children do, when they want to underline their arguments. Keith crossed his arms over his chest, pouting endearingly as he said. “But I’m  _ not _ , so I’m  _ not  _ going with you.”

Lance trained his blue blue eyes on him, a mischievous glint in them as he said. “You’re just scared.”

Keith’s pout dissolved into a slightly surprised expression. “No, ‘m not!,” he snapped.

Lance gave him a sidelong look at first, and as he slowly turned his head in Keith’s direction, he asked. “Then you’re coming with me?” 

The challenging look and the sparkle of an adventure in the clear blue of the brunet’s eyes, was all it took for Keith to get off the swing, determination clearly on his features. Lance giggled happily and grabbed his hand, already dragging the raven haired boy along with him. 

Keith was still a little overwhelmed by the situation, and as Lance started to ramble about the cool beetle he’d seen the last time, Keith was slowly feeling uneasy. He turned around, looked back to his house with the feeling of regret nagging at the very back of his head. But then he focused on Lance’s voice again and the warmth of his small hand, pressed against his own, and the awkward feeling slowly faded into something comforting.

“....it was all shiny and shined in  _ aaall _ the colors of the rainbow! It was  _ so _ pretty!,” Keith heard Lance say.

Keith felt his own lips curl a little at the untamed joy of the small boy walking in front if him, rambling so excited about all the things he wanted to show him.

To Keith’s relief the spot they went, wasn’t that far away from their street. Lance squeezed his hand, drawing Keith’s attention back to him.

“Look, we just have to go through this hedge and then we’re there,” Lance stated, pointing his other hand at said hedge.

The younger boy had a big smile on his lips, and Keith noticed that he was already missing a tooth. Lance started to crouch a little, pushing gently through the hedge, gently dragging Keith with him. Keith mirrored his actions and ducked his head as they passed the thick bushes. Behind the hedge they reached a clearing in a small forest. It was quiet and nice.

Lance let go of his hand, and Keith immediately missed the warm and pleasant weight of it in his own. He watched how Lance got down into a crouch, and softly cooed at a small ladybug crawling on the ground. He tried to nudge it with his index finger but the small bug lifted his wings, and flew away. 

Lance watched in awe as it flew further and further away, his sky blue eyes shining brightly, and followed it until it was out of sight. 

Keith felt a warm and sweet feeling spreading from his chest at the sight of Lance, not knowing what it was, and too young to understand. 

Lance got up from his place, and grabbed the raven haired boy’s hand again, dragging him further into the clearing, the sun peaking through the trees in warm rays. 

Lance looked around, his eyes searching for the beetle he wanted to show Keith, never letting go of his new friend’s hand. The shy boy followed him, looking around curiously himself, not knowing what exactly they were looking for but still trying. Keith saw the faint flash of light being reflected from the corner of his eye and his gaze snapped to it.

“There!,” he called, and pointed with his index finger to a small beetle, round body, shimmering in the colors of the rainbow with a horn on its head, almost looking like a nose. It was walking slowly on the dirt as Lance’s head jerked in the direction Keith was pointing at.

“You found it! It’s  _ so beautiful _ , right?,” Lance said, his voice full of joy and excitement. Pulling Keith with him, he crouched down, and Keith mirrored his action. Both boys were taken aback by the beauty of the dung beetle they were staring at. 

Keith once again sneaked a shy glance at the boy crouching next to him, who was still holding his hand tightly. The small boy with sunkissed skin, a galaxy of freckles on his nose and cheekbones, and eyes so blue, Keith thought he was looking at the brightest sky, he’s ever seen.

“What’s your name?,” he asked, knitting his eyebrows together at the try to remember if he ever heard it before.

“My name’s Lance! And yours is Keith, right? I heard your momma call you the other day,” the brunet boy answered in a rush.

He didn’t look up, still gazing at the shiny beetle in front of him, walking slow across the clearing. Keith let his head hung low, his eyes trained on the dirt, a frown spreading on his face again as they suddenly heard a loud snap, and then the terrifying cry of an animal in pain.

Lance gasped, and his head snapped to the direction of the sound. A shiver shook Keith’s frame and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He felt himself tense, frozen to the spot, and his heart was beating like a wardrum in his small chest. 

Lance squeezed his hand a little, and Keith’s focus turned back to the frightened boy beside him. Keith gently squeezed back to reassure the younger boy, and Lance’s eyes darted to his, locking gazes, looking anxious but also… hurt.

“We have to help it,” Lance said quietly, his blue eyes staring pleadingly at Keith. He didn’t know why but the silent plea in Lance’s eyes tugged right at his heartstrings. 

And before Keith could really grasp what he was doing, he darted up, tugged gently at Lance’s hand, and dragged the brunet with him, stomping through the underwood, trying to reach the whining animal. 

Keith strained his hearing, trying to make out from which direction the crying was coming, and he had to stop every now and then, to listen more carefully. He adjusted their direction a few times, always holding tight to Lance’s small hand, the younger boy always following hot on his heels.

The cries were getting louder, and soon they found another small clearing in between a few trees, where they saw the metall trap, and a small animal desperately trying to get its paw out of it. The trap had spikes on it, looking like the predatory mouth of a big monster, hurting the small puppy merciless.

Keith took a good look at the small creature, and a cold shiver ran down his spine as he recognized they were a wolf pup. They had black fur with a blueish sheen to it. Their golden eyes were surrounded by light grey circles and the fur from the crown of their head all the way down to the tail was thicker and the same grey color. Lance was hiding behind Keith’s back, poking his head to the side to take a look at them.

“It’s a puppy,” he whispered, and was already taking steps to the side to walk over to the pup, but Keith held him back.

“No! Stay back, they're not a dog pup. This is a wolf! They’re dangerous and maybe their mother will come soon. We need to go,” Keith ordered, his voice low and resolute.

He was already backing off, pushing Lance softly away as he heard a quiet sob.

“But… but they’re hurt. W-we can’t leave them here, alone...”

Lance’s voice cracked, and Keith’s heart sank. 

Keith tensed at the shaking body, now pressing against his back, and hiding his face on his shoulder. Keith groaned as the puppy let out a heart shattering cry. He huffed a defeated breath, moving forward cautiously, trying not to scare the little pup as he approached it. Lance was still frozen to the spot, quietly sobbing.

“We need to hurry up, before their mother is here. Lance, help me!,” Keith demanded. Lance gasped, and rushed to Keith’s side, tried to help him open the trap. The small pup was crying so loud, and Keith could easily make out the frightened look in their big, panicked eyes.

“Shh, shh! We’ll help you! Don’t cry,” Lance said with a wobbly voice. Tears were still running down his cheeks. He wiped them away, sniffed loud as Keith watched how determination took over his features, and he went back to push the trap open with everything he had. 

Keith was stunned at how much strength this small boy had, that he was trying to comfort the tiny pup although he was crying himself. He looked back down to the trap, and pushed harder this time, gathered all his strength.

Slowly the trap opened enough for the pup to pull his paw out. 

It was hard to watch as it was already bleeding but still tried to walk away, and fell down at the try, their injured paw not strong enough to hold up their weight. It tried several more times to get up but it was already too exhausted from struggling with the trap.

“Come on! Get up, try to walk!,” Lance mumbled, and as Keith turned to look at him, he noticed that tears were now brimming in his eyes, threatening to overflow any moment. 

Keith’s thoughts were circling in his mind, he was desperately trying to weigh out their options, and what was the best thing to do now.

And then he snapped. 

Keith surged forward, and gently grabbed the small pup in both his hands as they cried out at the sudden touch. Keith flinched, afraid he’d hurt the small figure in his arms but Lance simply reached for his hands, and cupped them with his own, giving Keith support. The brunet looked at him, a soft and shy smile on his lips, and said. “It’s okay, I think they’re just scared.”

Keith gently cradled the tiny creature in his arms, against his chest, and as Lance stroked the grey fur on their back, the raven haired boy could pinpoint the moment the pup started to relax.

“We need to get out of here,” Keith said, and took a turn to walk back home. Lance followed him with firm steps, his gaze fixed on the small pup in Keith’s arms. Soon their houses came back into view. 

Lance slowed his steps as they were approaching his house. Keith noticed as he came to a halt, and looked at him with concern.

“What’s wrong?,” Keith asked.

He noticed Lance’s fingers fidgeting with the hem of his blue shirt, and his head hung low, a small pout on his lips.

“Spill it!,” Keith barked, a little angrier than intended, already regretting it as he noticed how Lance flinched, his eyes wide with panic, staring at Keith.

“W-we can’t bring them to my home… My… my dad would get angry,” Lance stuttered. Keith scoffed as he turned in the other direction to walk towards his own house.

“If that’s the only problem, then I’ll take them home. My mom won’t say anything, and dad isn’t here anyway,” he stated.

Lance’s eyes lit up at that, and he rushed to Keith’s side again, eager to help the small puppy. As they reached the front porch of Keith’s house, his mom opened the door, anger plain on her features but as soon as her gaze fell on the small pup in her sons arms, it softened.

“Mom, we found this puppy in a trap and its paw is hurt. Can we help them, please?,” Keith said as he stroked the small pup’s head, and a barely audible whine escaped them. His mom nodded, and answered. “Come in and take it to the big table in the kitchen. But wait a second, I’ll get a towel and some supplies.”

Both boys did as Keith’s mother said, and waited patiently for her to spread the towel on the table. Keith placed the shivering wolf pup on it, and they watched in silence as his mom cleaned up the wound carefully. 

The pup flinched a few times, and cried out loud. Lance was sobbing quietly beside Keith, sitting on a chair, and watching the whole scene with worried eyes. As Keith’s mom spread some antibacterial ointment on the wound, and the puppy let out a piercing cry, Keith couldn’t hold back himself anymore.

Tears started to stream down his face in hot, wet streaks, dripping off from his jaw and chin. He lowered his gaze to hide them behind his dark bangs as he felt a small body pressing against his side, two strong arms closing around his middle. 

A warm and comforting feeling spread in his chest, and he grabbed Lance’s arm across his chest with both hands, clenching his fists in the fabric of the brunet’s shirt. 

They both cried quietly, sobbing from time to time, giving each other the strength they needed in just this moment. Keith’s mom gave them a concerned look as she was gently putting a bandage around the small paw.

“You both were very brave. It was dangerous but you did the right thing. This pup wouldn’t have survived on their own, if it wasn’t for you rescuing it,” she spoke in a gentle voice, and a genuine smile started to spread on her lips. She placed a stripe of tape on the bandage, and as she looked back to the small pup, they were already drifting off into sleep. She carefully cupped the wolf in her arms, and carried them to the couch in the living room, placing them on a big and soft cushion, pulling a fluffy cover carefully over their body. 

The boys had followed her, and were now looking afraid at the small figure laying on the couch. Keith’s mom got up from the couch, and stepped in front of them, ruffling both their hair as she pulled them to her chest, hugging them both close.

“The pup will sleep a lot for now, and tomorrow we can take this cute boy to the vet, to look if the leg is broken. But for now, just take care of him, he will need comfort when he wakes up, okay?”

Both boys sniffed one last time, and nodded as they stepped back. Keith wiped the last remains of his tears away, and looked at Lance. He still had two wet streams on his face, and Keith pulled the sleeve of his red hoodie over one hand, reaching out for Lance’s face to wipe at it. 

A sudden thought formed in Keith’s mind, and he gasped quietly. “Your mom doesn’t know where you are. I think she’s already worried.”

Lance’s face went blank, and panic slowly crept its way on his features.

“You’re the McClain boy, right? I’ll talk to her, and tell her that you’re here,” Keith’s mom answered instead. Lance nodded sheepishly, and he got a warm smile in return from her. “Take care of the puppy.”

As she left, the boys sat down on the couch, each one of them cuddled on the one side of the puppy, stroking his fur in turns until they both fell asleep themselves, exhausted from their small adventure. 

Soon after Keith’s mom came back with Lance’s mom by her side, and both women cooed at the adorable scene they witnessed. 

After this evening Keith kept the wolf-  _ and  _ Lance, as his new best friends. The boys even argued over his name, but in the end Lance got his way, and the pup was called Cosmo. 

They bickered a lot, as kids always do but eventually they always stuck together, and were there for each other. It didn’t matter if Lance had to deal with anxiety or if Keith’s parents were fighting again, each time being worse than before. 

They always ended up running into each other’s arms, cuddled and held hands, sometimes even fell asleep in the same bed, exhausted from all the trouble.

They gave each other the strength and comfort they needed in these moments, like best friends did.

On one particular day after almost a year as Lance had woken up, he opened the curtains of his window, and felt his heart break for the first time, a heavy lump forming in his throat at the unexpected sight he was witnessing before Keith’s house.

A truck was standing in the driveway, a few men carrying furniture and boxes to it. His heart stopped a beat only to start into overdrive as he ran down the stairs of his own house, and ignored his mother’s calls. 

He ran until he reached the Kogane’s front porch, desperately calling for Keith. One of the men stopped beside him, and told him that the owners had already left early in the morning. 

Lance felt the pieces of his broken heart shatter in even tinier ones as hot tears poured down his face. 

He’d never felt so lost like in this very moment, and as he collapsed on his knees, he felt the warm embrace of his mother’s arms closing around his body but they couldn’t take the heartache away from him. 

Nothing-  _ nobody  _ could comfort him right now.

Except for  _ one _ . 

But he had left, without saying a word, without saying goodbye. 

Lance just couldn’t understand what was happening to him, and as his mother carried him back home, had him cradled in her arms, the sobbing boy pressed tight against her chest, he still felt alone. He eventually stopped crying at one point, sitting on the couch, held tight by his mother.

After some time Lance simply pulled back from his mother’s warm embrace, got up, and went to his room without saying a word.

After that day, his eyes never sparkled with the same bright joy they always did when Keith was around.


	2. Welcome to College

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Lance asked, and he was already turning around to take a look at what or who had scared Hunk as he firmly grabbed his shoulders, keeping him from turning._
> 
> _“Please,_ don’t _turn around. Remember that best friend of hers I just told you about?” Hunk whispered. Lance nodded, a sly smile growing on his lips as he said._
> 
> _“So he is hot?”_
> 
> Lance starts a new chapter of his life at college with his best friend Hunk and the first morning already starts off a little rocky...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! 
> 
> We all know that I broke Lance's heart in the Prologue and I'm sorry (not sorry) （；^ω^）  
> So... that means we're starting with the actual story and all I can say is... ( ◑ω◑☞)☞ Off to the slow burn we go!
> 
> I really hope you enjoy it! <3 <3 <3

“Oh no!  _ Nuh-uh! _ No lunchtime without me! I won’t allow it,” Lance said in a stern voice as he opened the door to the coffeeshop, stopped on the threshold, and glared premonitory at Hunk while prodding his index finger at his best friend’s chest. 

A bubbly laugh shook Hunk’s chubby frame, and he lifted his hands in defeat as he said. “Okay,  _ okay _ ! I’ll try my best to be in time then. Remember that our buildings are each on the other side of the campus?”

Lance huffed an exaggerated breath, and entered the coffeeshop, followed by Hunk. They both stepped in line for ordering their coffees.

“That doesn’t matter. And if  _ Pidgeon _ …,” Lance started.

“Pidge,” Hunk corrected him.

“...okay,  _ Pidge _ \- if she doesn’t want to come with ya, then it’s her problem. I need my best buddy at lunchtime or else I won’t make it through the day!” Lance whined dramatically, and threw his arms around Hunk’s neck, hugged him tight. Hunk just laughed in response and patted the brunet’s back comfortingly.

“Okay, you big cry baby, I got it. But you could also come over to our cafeteria,” Hunk countered. Lance let go of him, and shot him his brightest grin as he answered. "Hm,  _ maybe _ ."

Lance turned around again, and let his eyes roam over the chalkboard up high on the back wall as he tried to decide on a snack while contemplatively tapping his chin.

“Ooh, the salted caramel cupcake sounds good! It even has a liquid chocolate core,” Hunk chimed in excitedly from behind, rubbing his belly, almost drooling. Lance made a face at that.

“Hm, too loaded. I already had too much sweets at home the last days, because Mamá wanted to make me all my favorites before we left. I think, I’ll take a plain croissant,” Lance stated while they continued to wait in line for their turn to order.

They’d both moved here to - how Lance used to say - escape their boring life in their hometown. And so they’d chosen a college all the way across the whole country, right on the other side of it. At first Lance’s parents didn’t think of it as a good idea, and they had a lot of arguments about it but eventually they agreed because Lance usually got things his way.

“Good morning, and welcome to Altea Café! What’s your wish for today?” the friendly waiter asked in a strong british accent, and the curled edges of his mustache wiggled funnily with every spoken word. Lance read the name Coran on the small silver tag on his apron.

“Uh, a tall Toffee-Nut-Latte with soy milk, and a croissant to go, please,” Lance ordered.

“Aah, a very good choice, youngster! Would you tell me your name, please?” the waiter- Coran asked.

“The name’s Lance.”

“Thank you very much, your order will be prepared immediately, and you can pick it up over there in a few moments.”

Coran pointed to a second counter further to the right, smiling friendly. Lance paid for his order, stepped a little to the side, and waited for Hunk to place his. They both slowly walked over to the pick-up counter as Lance was scrolling through social media on his phone. 

He wasn’t paying much attention to anything as he heard the sound of a smooth female voice. 

“Tall Toffee-Nut-Latte with soy milk for  _ Lonce _ !” she called with the same accent as the nice waiter before.

Lance looked up from the screen of his phone as he froze to the spot the moment he saw her. He stared at the woman behind the counter, who was already preparing the next coffees as she turned from side to side, picked up bottles of milk and flavored syrups, and poured them into cups in experienced moves.

Pulled back into a high ponytail, her white hair stood in stark contrast to her dark, smooth skin. She lifted her gaze, and let her violet and blue eyes roam over the waiting customers in front of the high counter.

And she looked  _ out of this world. _

Hunk cleared his throat loudly, and at that Lance snapped out of his trance. Immediately, a smug grin spread on his lips, and he stepped up to the counter, leaned his elbows on top of it, propped his face up on both hands as he purred. “Uh, the name’s  _ Lance _ , but  _ you _ can call me whatever you want.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, slowly turned her head to the side, and shot him a questioning gaze, one eyebrow lifted. The pretty girl looked him up and down, and deadpanned. “I’ll stick with Lonce.”

Lance’s gaze darted down to the tag on the top of her apron before he tried again. “I would call you  _ Allura  _ but I think  _ Beauty _ suits you better.”

He was still leaning on the counter, wide grin on his face, and eyes narrowed. This time she didn’t even look up as she spoke. “Tall Caffé Mocha with extra espresso shot for Hunk is ready.”

Hunk walked up to the counter, and gently bumped Lance’s shoulder as he grabbed his coffee.

"Come on, let's go," he said chuckling. Lance was still looking dreamily at her as Hunk handed Lance his coffee cup, grabbed him by the collar, and started to drag him away.

"I'll come back tomorrow,  _ Beauty _ !" Lance called as he was already being pushed out of the door at which Allura just rolled her eyes and groaned.

“I should’ve asked her for her number!” Lance said on their way across the street to get to the college after he reluctantly left the coffeeshop. Hunk grimaced at that. “Uh, I don’t think, she was interested at all, buddy.”

Lance stopped dead in his tracks, gasped loud, and put a hand on his chest, looking offended at his best friend.

“ _ Excuse you! _ First of all, rude! And second, she totally fell for my charm, and would call me asap if she had my number!” Lance bragged loudly. Hunk chuckled low, and shook his head slightly as he continued his way. 

Lance caught up to his side again, and went on with his rambling: “Imagine, we would be the perfect couple!  _ Allura _ , the gorgeous beauty and me-  _ Lance _ , the stunning handsome guy. We would live together in a wonderful house and have the prettiest babies the earth has ever seen. Everything would be  _ soooo _ perfect!” 

Lance drew a wide bow with his right arm, and because he was currently staring at the sky, he jostled a random guy walking past them. Lance startled, and pulled his arm back as he called. 

_ "Whoa! Watch out, dude!” _

“Goddammit! Could you be more careful, you jerk?” the guy yelled back immediately, his face scrunched up as he glared at Lance.

“Wow! Calm down, buddy! Nothing happened,” Lance answered, calmer now.

“I almost dropped my phone because of you, you fucker!” the guy hissed as he came closer, suddenly standing right in front of Lance. 

The raven haired guy was  _ so  _ close, their noses almost touched. His pale face was contorted with anger and he poked his index finger in painful jabs at Lance’s chest. He was captured by the depths of the others dark navy blue eyes, speckled with tiny purple dots, mysterious like a stormy night sky. 

The slight feeling of recognition surged through Lance’s mind, like he’d seen these eyes before but couldn’t quite grasp it. A quiet yelp of Hunk snapped Lance out of his trance.

“Oh,  _ okay _ ! I didn’t know, it was a crime to make someone  _ almost _ drop their phone. You need to chill, dude! I didn’t do it on purpose!” he said, not backing off. 

Lance threw his arms to the side and was giving the guy a questioningly look. The other made a grimace, growling low in his throat. Lance’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes grew wide at the same time his jaw dropped as he simply stared at the raven haired boy in surprise.

The guy suddenly scoffed, turned on his heels, and then continued his way to the coffeeshop they’d just left.

But not without flipping him off over his shoulder.

Hunk exhaled a breath, and bent over, rested his hands on his knees for support as he breathed. “Wow, that dude was scary! I really thought you would beat up each other at any moment! He even  _ growled! _ ”

As Lance slowly turned to his best friend, and shot him a look, he looked very stressed. Lance just scoffed, and muttered. “What an asshole.” He then patted Hunk on his shoulder, and asked. ”You okay, buddy?”

Hunk just nodded, straightened his posture, and after several deep breaths, they eventually continued their way to the campus in silence.

The thought that Lance had seen this guy somewhere else before, didn’t leave him though. He just couldn’t put a finger on it. Maybe he’d seen him on the other day when they went looking for their buildings, Lance thought.

“Ok, buddy. Here’s where our ways part. I’ll see ya later at lunch!” Hunk said, patted Lance on his shoulder, and turned to leave.

“Yeah, see ya,” Lance answered, still lost deep in his own thoughts.

\--------------------

Lance was already sitting at the very back of the room, casually scrolling on his phone, watching the students as they rushed inside to sit down for the next lecture. 

Once again his thoughts drifted off to the raven haired guy with pale skin, and the midnight sky eyes from earlier. He made Lance feel something…  _ strange _ . A feeling that was buried somewhere deep in his chest, a small memory at the very back of his head. But he realised that trying to recognize it now would lead him to nowhere, so he put the thoughts aside, and focused on the professor, who had just entered the room.

“Good morning, everyone. I’m Mr. Adam Wright and I’m your tutor for media studies. Please sit down and take your notebooks and pens out because I will only tell everything  _ once _ ! And  _ please  _ be quiet!” he introduced himself. Lance stuffed his phone into his pocket, and sighed quietly. He really hoped for the morning to pass quickly.

\--------------------

After what felt like an exhausting eternity, and a very stern professor Wright, Lance finally made his way to the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. His gaze landed on a free table not far away as he typed a quick message for Hunk, made his way there, and sat down on one of the chairs. 

Fortunately it didn’t take long until Lance noticed Hunk entering the main door of the cafeteria. A small girl walked beside him, short copper hair, big glasses on her nose, and a way too big hoodie covering her upper body. 

Lance assumed that this must’ve been Pidge, the girl Hunk had told him about. He’d met her online through an engineering blog where they both hooked up easily because of their mutual interests.

Lance saw from afar how they stopped, and Pidge started fishing her phone out her pocket. He heard the muffled sound of the Stars Wars melody as it rang. She briefly talked to someone on the phone and as she hung up again, she said something to Hunk before turning, and leaving the cafeteria again.

Hunk let his gaze roam round the hall, now full of students. Lance stretched himself a little, and waved twice until Hunk finally noticed him. He came walking over with a big grin on his lips, breathing a little heavy.

“Hunk, my buddy! See, didn’t take you that long to get here after all,” Lance stated.

“Yeah, Pidge might be small but she can walk fast! Almost seems like the devil’s after her!” Hunk chuckled. He let himself flop down on the chair next to Lance, sighing exhausted.

“And where did your little friend go? By the way, did you notice that she looks like a little gremlin?” Lance snickered at his own joke but all he got from Hunk was a disapproving look.

“Lance, don’t be mean to her! She’s a genius in bioengineering! We even have classes together. I’m so thrilled to see what she can do. Oh, and she wanted to meet with her best friend and bring him with her. Must be a cool dude,” Hunk answered.

“A cool dude, you say? Does he look good?” Lance asked with a suggestive smile, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis. Hunk just huffed a short laugh, and shook his head as he answered. “I dunno, to be honest. Never met him before either.”

Lance watched how Hunk’s gaze focused on something behind him, and his best friend’s face lit up as he started. “Oh, there she is-,” but the very next moment Lance saw how Hunk’s breath caught, his jaw dropped, and his eyes grew comically wide.

“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Lance asked, and he was already turning around to take a look at what or who had scared Hunk as he firmly grabbed his shoulders, keeping him from turning.

“Please,  _ don’t  _ turn around. Remember that best friend of hers I just told you about?” Hunk whispered. Lance nodded, a sly smile growing on his lips as he said. 

“So he  _ is  _ hot?”

But his smile faded the moment he noticed the panic in Hunk’s eyes, and how firm he actually was holding on to Lance’s shoulders.

“Hunk, you need to tell me what’s wrong. Why don’t you want me to turn around?” Lance tried again.

“Because, um… oh  _ god _ , they’re almost  _ here. _ ”

Hunk swallowed hard, and if Lance didn’t notice before, now he couldn’t deny anymore that Hunk was scared because he was looking completely terrified as Lance heard a female voice say.

“Hey guys.”

Lance watched from the corner of his eyes as Pidge walked past them, and took a seat right next to him.

“You must be Lance, right? I’m Pidge. Nice to meet ya.”

She grinned friendly at him, all toothy, and offered her hand in greeting. Lance shook it friendly, and said. “Hey. Nice to meet you, too,” but he was still distracted by his best friend’s reaction to whatever he’d seen.

Then Lance noticed another student walking past them towards the chair on the opposite of him. His gaze wandered over the guy’s black, ripped jeans to his red tank top, and the black leather jacket he was wearing.

Lance liked what he was seeing, the guy being exactly his type. Tall and lean, well-toned in all the right places, and he had that bad boy flair about him, which made Lance’s knees  _ weak. _

But as his gaze wandered further up and settled on the others face, Lance felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The moment he recognized who he was looking at, he felt the air being punched out of his lungs.

Surprise slowly faded into anger which started to spread, hot and ugly from Lance’s chest through his whole body as he narrowed his eyes, and simply tried to stare the other down. The guy took a seat on the chair, rummaged around in his bag before he lifted his head, and locked gazes with Lance.

The brunet could pinpoint the exact moment the other realised who he was staring at as several emotions washed over his face.

Confusion. Recognition. Surprise. And finally anger.

Lance watched as an intimidating scowl appeared on the raven haired boy’s face.

And Lance was so caught up in his own feelings that he almost missed it as Pidge announced.

  
  


_ “And this is my best buddy, Keith.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked it! Please leave a kudos and lemme know in the comments what you think about it! <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooo... this was the first part of their journey, which ended way too soon again, I know. But let's see how it continues in the next chapters and what their college years will bring!
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed it! Please lemme know in the comments what you thought and leave a kudos! <3 <3 <3


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